ukb007 Review of The Legend of Hercules

The Legend of Hercules (2014)

Decent new take on the legend of Hercules

[7/10 · 8 April 2014]

At the outset, I must confess that I didn't find the film as awful as some of the reviews claimed it was. Firstly, Hercules is a myth, a fiction; he is not a historical figure, so questions of accuracy in the events are not of importance. Secondly, Kellan Lutz doesn't have the stunning good looks, alluring tuft of hair and the power beard of Steve Reeves or Reg Park or even Lou Ferrigno, so are we stereotyping Hercules here ? Thirdly, there are complaints of cheap CGI - I didn't find evidence of that except in one sequence near the end where Hercules breaks pillars he was chained to and wields the broken pieces of masonry which seem made of thermocol. Kellan Lutz doesn't continuously display Flashy superhuman strength of Hercules or a muscular physique unnecessarily - in fact both these attributes are superbly understated and implied in the movie. Some of the fight sequences reminded some of Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator' - so should the fights have been like Chinese martial arts ? Are we sure there would then be nobody crying out: boy, the fight sequences are lifted straight off a Hong Kong import! . . . Guys, come on, let's give Lutz's Herc a chance !